The survival of the short track harness racing in West Friesland may be at stake. Animal welfare organization Dier&Recht asks Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture) for a ban. This is because, according to the foundation, the horses suffer from pain and stress due to the trotting.
A petition has now been started by Dier&Recht, which has now been signed 22,130 times. The intention is to hand this over to Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture).
In recent months, the foundation has visited several trotting centers in the Netherlands. Pain and stress were noted in the horses. Painful means of coercion that are prohibited in other branches of equestrian sport are still widely used here, animal welfare organization Dier&Recht said. They noted the unnecessary use of whips, the use of earplugs and blinders, and the tying of tails and tongues.
In good jobs
West Friesland has four short track harness racing. Wognum bites the striker. In Venhuizen the trottering takes place on 7 June. The one in Enkhuizen is on September 15, followed four days later by Medemblik. How do they view this?
Jan Ootes, chairman of the trottery in Wognum, says he does not recognize himself in the picture that the animal welfare organization paints. According to him, track commissioners from the Dutch Trotting and Rensport Foundation (NDR) keep the trotting companies on the right track. “They check for the correct harness of the horses and issue fines for unnecessary use of the whip.”
Ootes: “But it is different with a short track trotter. For example, we are not allowed to use whips here. There are also severe penalties, such as exclusion from participation. This is enforced, such as the handing out of fines. However, it does worry us. A trotter is part of a village, it’s the day of days. Everyone comes together then.”
Paul Mulder, chairman of the NDR, wants to sit down with the foundation. “We see our horses as top athletes and they are cared for that way. Many measures have been taken in recent years. For example, there is an ethical code about handling horses, the use of aids – such as a whip – is very limited.”